PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets will catch the ball better this season, especially in center field.

As one Mets’ talent evaluator said, the center fielder is no longer taking the long way around “via Brooklyn’’ to get to the baseball.

Angel Pagan, for all his talent, had many defensive shortcomings. In Andres Torres, the Mets believe they have someone who will get quickly to where he is supposed to be. The Mets pitching staff will use all the help it can get.

Though his routes to the baseball are direct, Torres’ path to major league success has been long and circuitous because of a huge hurdle thrown his way.

“I’m excited to be here,’’ the 5-foot-9 Torres said yesterday in the Mets clubhouse. “I’m prepared to cover a lot of ground.’’

Is he ever — both on and off the field. For years, Torres has struggled with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He has a documentary called “Gigante’’ coming out in about a month describing his battle with the disorder.

His path to the majors has taken him to 12 different minor league locations, everywhere from Jamestown, N.Y., to Fresno, Calif., with a World Series stop in San Francisco in 2010. He was a fourth-round draft pick of the Tigers, back in 1998.

“With this film, I want to give hope to kids who have this ADHD condition,’’ Torres explained. “It’s not easy and I want to share my story and inspire others. I want to make sure these kids always have hope that things will work out. It’s not impossible to do things.

“If you find the right medication plus therapy and some professional help, you can find success like I did,’’ Torres told The Post. “I struggled for many years.’’

Torres, 34, was diagnosed with the condition in 2002 but took medication for only two or three days. “I was thinking, ‘I’m a good athlete, I don’t need to take anything,’ ’’ he explained.

Thinking that he could overcome the condition without medication was a bad decision. “The focus wasn’t there,’’ he said. “It’s not about just being hyper. You have to find focus in everything you do.’’

In 2007 at the urging of Gene Roof, the Tigers minor league coordinator, Torres went back on the medication and it immediately helped him produce on the field.

“I was a different player,’’ Torres said. “A lot of kids have come up to me and said ‘Thank you for doing this.’ I’m doing this to help others.’’

Getting part-time action from 2002 to 2005 with the Tigers and Rangers, Torres batted only .210. He didn’t make it back to the majors until 2009 with the Giants. He hit .270 that season over 75 games and the next year played 139 games for the Giants, batted .268, winning a World Series ring in the process.

Torres batted .350 in the six-game victory over the Phillies in the NLCS and hit .318 in the World Series win over Rangers, including slapping four doubles in the five games for a .984 OPS. He was named the most inspirational player that season by his teammates.

Torres dropped to a .221 average last season. Time for a change of scenery.

As for those offensive struggles Torres has made some major adjustments in his swing and has shelved his leg kick. “I just want to get on base and help the team score and help the team win,’’ he said of his simplified approach. “I’ve shortened my swing a little bit and I had a high kick, so now I am using my hands more. I need to be more consistent.’’

Torres went to Taiwan after the season for exhibition games, along with Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson and second baseman Robinson Cano. And yes, Torres drank snake blood as well.

“It was a really good trip,’’ Torres said. “The culture was different but we did a lot of fun stuff.’’

For Mets pitchers, it will be fun to watch Torres patrol center field.